The service – operated by Renfrewshire Council – was also branded “farcical” by one lawyer whose client had been sent away five times.

A sheriff has hit out social work chiefs after it was revealed criminals are being turned away from community service because of staff shortages.

The service – operated by Renfrewshire Council – was also branded “farcical” by one lawyer whose client had been sent away five times.

Concerns have previously been raised at Paisley Sheriff Court about this type of sentence – used as an alternative to jailing people – because of under-staffing of the system in Renfrewshire.

The service, provided by Renfrewshire Council’s social work department, previously came under fire when it was revealed offenders were turning up to carry out the unpaid work as part of court community payback orders only to be turned away due to staff shortages.

The local authority dismissed those concerns, claiming that the problem had been a short-term blip that would not occur again.

But there has been fresh criticism from the bench at Paisley Sheriff Court after it was disclosed that the problems have resurfaced.

After learning of the latest difficulties, Sheriff James Spy hit out: “This is not satisfactory.”

Sheriff Spy was responding to fresh revelations in a progress review he had set as part of a sentence he imposed back in May.

He had intended to monitor accused John Cooley, 31, of Holmes Crescent, Erskine, to make sure he was complying with the terms of a community payback order, which was imposed after he assaulted another man outside a Paisley town centre bookmaker’s shop.

The sheriff had warned then that if the accused failed to co-operate and abide by the terms of the order, he would be breached and face up to 12 months behind bars.

When Cooley re-appeared for an update to be given, defence agent Tony Callahan told the court his client had been turned away five times because of staff shortages.

Mr Callahan said: “On each occasion, he was told there were insufficient supervisors to enable him to complete the hours of work.

“It is somewhat farcical – he was told to go away as he could not be accommodated.”

Sheriff Spy said efforts to hand out alternatives to prison sentences were being thwarted.

“It seems that no additional resources are being put in place and that is not satisfactory,” he added and continued Cooley’s case until November 24.

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “Every year over 35,000 hours of unpaid work is completed in
Renfrewshire.

“However, we have seen a significant increase in the number of unpaid work orders being issued by the courts.

“We have redesigned the service to meet this rise in demand.

“That redesign has included increasing the number of supervisory staff so that we can provide as many work squads as possible.

“Individuals are given the maximum number of opportunities to attend.

“They are given set days to attend based on how long the courts have given them to complete their hours.

“Clearly, we try and prioritise individuals who have been given less time to do their unpaid work compared to those who have more time.

“Extra days are offered where possible and, if they become available at short notice, additional opportunities to do unpaid work are also
provided.